NIT 2016: Bracket, Schedule and Tournament's Top Teams Heading into Round 2

Even without a bid to the NCAA tournament, top teams around the country can end their seasons on a high note at the National Invitation Tournament.

While this event is never a goal for a college basketball team, a successful showing can still be valuable. For underclassmen, this could be a stepping stone toward bigger things in the future. Seniors can use this to extend their careers and try to go out with a win.

Regardless of the team goals, there is a lot of good basketball still to be played outside of the Big Dance. Here is a look at the upcoming schedule and a breakdown of some top teams to watch. 

Date	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV
March 17	No. 1 Valparaiso vs. No. 4 Florida State	7 p.m.	ESPNEWS
March 18	No. 2 BYU vs. No. 3 Virginia Tech	9:30 p.m.	ESPNU
March 19	No. 8 Wagner vs. No. 4 Creighton	Noon	ESPN
March 20	No. 2 Florida vs. No. 3 Ohio State	Noon	ESPN
March 20	No. 2 St. Mary's (CA) vs. No. 3 Georgia	7:30 p.m.	ESPNU
March 21	No. 1 Monmouth vs. No. 4 George Washington	7 p.m.	ESPN
March 21	No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 4 Georgia Tech	9 p.m.	ESPN
March 21	No. 2 San Diego St. vs. No. 3 Washington	11:30 p.m.	ESPN2

Full bracket available at NCAA.com.

Top Teams Remaining

Monmouth

Mel Evans/Associated Press/Associated Press

The NCAA tournament selection committee made a lot of enemies by leaving fan favorite Monmouth out of the field of 68. While the Hawks were fun to watch based on celebrations alone, the team itself was deserving of an at-large bid.

Kami Mattioli of Sporting News broke down the problems with the process:

Andy Glockner of The Cauldron went into more detail:

Although Monmouth did have some "bad" losses, this is a good team that just fell short against Iona in the MAAC tournament, sending the Hawks to the NIT.

While college basketball fans were robbed of some exciting play from Justin Robinson, Micah Seaborn and others, the squad is off to a good start in the NIT with a 10-point win over Bucknell in the first round. Hopefully, this team will keep winning, and we will see it in Madison Square Garden.

Saint Mary's

James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

It's understandable to look at a resume and say Saint Mary's didn't deserve a spot in the NCAA tournament. The only quality wins came against Gonzaga, and the only meaningful nonconference game was a loss to California.

However, it's also tough to watch Saint Mary's play and not believe this is one of the better teams in college basketball.

The Gaels run one of the most efficient offenses in the nation with unselfish players who are always willing to make the extra pass to find an open man. Emmett Naar and Joe Rahon complement each other perfectly in the backcourt, combining to average 25.0 points and 11.8 assists per game this season.

KenPom.com rated Saint Mary's as the No. 35 team in the country—the highest-rated eligible squad not invited to March Madness. This group could have done damage in the NCAA tournament but instead will show what it can do in the NIT.

Florida State

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Unlike the other teams on this list, Florida State can't complain about missing the Big Dance. A 19-13 overall record and just 8-10 in the ACC usually isn't enough to get a bid. However, this is a talented squad and one that could really benefit from a deep run in this tournament.

Florida State is led by freshman guards Dwayne Bacon and Malik Beasley, both of whom averaged over 15 points and five rebounds per game this year. Sophomore guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes didn't put up huge numbers but improved as a passer this season, although he is always capable of getting hot from the outside.

While a team led by all underclassmen is expected to have some setbacks, head coach Leonard Hamilton was proud of where his team finished by the end of the year, per Brendan Sonnone of the Orlando Sentinel:

"

We've gone through...ups and downs. I still think we've made tremendous progress. Just with our body language, our ability to understand the intensity you have to play with at this level. I think sometimes when you lose games, you don't like to lose them, but I think we're growing up each time we've made some mistakes.

"

With wins over Virginia, Notre Dame and VCU, it's clear the Seminoles have tons of talent. If they can turn that into more consistency on the court, this could be a dangerous team this postseason as well as next year. 

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